Over the top baked ziti recipe loaded with over 10 different cheeses, 3 kinds of meats, fresh basil, garlic and onions. It’s truly restaurant quality that’s easy enough for a weekday and good enough for company!
Course Dinner, Main, pasta
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword cheese, pasta, recipe, sauce, ziti
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 10people
Calories
Author Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
1lb.ziti noodlesprepared ( a little under al dente.)
1lb.ground breakfast sausageI used Jennie' O turkey
1/2cuppepperonidiced (I used turkey)
3ozItalian sausagediced (I used Archer Farms Italian chicken sausage)
1/2cuponionsdiced
3garlic clovesminced
1TablespoonItalian seasoning
14.5ozcan basilgarlic & oregano diced tomatoes ( I used Hunts)
12.5ozhomestyle Marinara sauceI used Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro
12.5ozThree Cheese Spaghetti sauceI used Bertolli
1egg
1/2cupricotta cheese
1/2cupcottage cheese
3cupsItalian cheese blendshredded, divided (I used Sarengto's 6 cheese Italian which is smoked Parmesan, mozzarella, asiago, fontina, Romano & Provolone)
1cupmixed cheddar cheesesshredded ( I used Kraft's Triple Cheddar blend)
3ozsmoked gouda cheesesliced thin
Fresh basilchopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Prepare the ziti according to package, except cook it a little under al dente.
Rinse with cold water to cool noodles, drain and set aside.
In a large deep skillet, brown the meat over medium heat.
Add onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook until onions are slightly tender.
Drain the fat and return to heat
Stir in the diced tomatoes, marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce.
Reserve a cup of meat sauce for later use.
Bring sauce mixture to a light boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
In large bowl stir together beaten egg, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1-2 tablespoons fresh basil and 1 1/2 cups of Italian blend cheese.
Toss in the noodles and stir gently until noodles are coated.
Add in the reserved cup of cooled meat sauce.
In a 9x13 casserole dish spread out a thin layer of meat sauce.
Top with half of the noodle mixture.
Next layer on half of the meat mixture.
Sprinkle with the mixed cheddar cheeses and then lay on the slices of smoked gouda.
Top with the remaining noodle mixture and remaining meat sauce .
Top with remaining Italian cheese blend.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly!